While Miss Chaka Chaka is doing her best to display the traditions of her homeland in a positive light, something especially important given the end of Apartheid era; it doesnt necessarily shed light on the difficult life faced by many African women in traditional tribes. And this is something that is shared across cultures, tribes and modern nations, from South Africa to the Luo of Kenya, women rise early in the morning, work hard making millet and sorghum cakes, that they then dry on rocks, and later make into beer. The men, warriors by tradition and training, fight no more tribal wars and rarely hunt, by large simply gather in groups of elder men, drink beer and sit in their chairs while griping about their wives. The women, though the brewers, are forbidden from joining their husbands unless invited, and if they are allowed at all, they must sit in the dirt and drink from a bowl their husband fills. This seeming slavery also is empowering though, as the beer women make is highly profitable among the poor, serving as a vehicle of self determination among African women, in a manner similar to that of women during the 14th century, when they emerged in Europe as brewers par excellence and serving as creaters of their own wealth. How can feminism resolve this sort of duality - at the one hand women are held in virtual bondage, yet at the same time that bondage is also their means of personal empowerment and financial independence. And what role does tradition play in this, and where does feminism stand in regards to tradition and cultures that are quite alien to modern Western culture? -Justin
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 04:53:46 +0000
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